Forventning om et drastisk fald i høstudbyttet udløser alarm hos nødhjælpsorganisationer i det store land på Afrikas Tag – den er gal med forårets regntid (igen).
ADDIS ABABA, 25 May 2012 (IRIN): Aid agencies are calling for more food assistance for areas in southern and northeastern Ethiopia where erratic rains have adversely affected the mid-February to May `Belg’ crop.
“Significant shortage”
“We have a very significant shortage of food in much of [the] `Belg’ season dependent areas of the country particularly in SNNPR, [Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region]” Mike McDonagh, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ethiopia, said.
Other affected areas include parts of the northeast in the Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regions.
40 per cent of production
The `Belg’ harvest, which accounts for up to 40 percent of annual food production in some areas, is expected to reduce in 2012 due to the late onset and below-average performance of the mid-February to May rains, which were 2-8 weeks late.
“Monitored closely”
“The situation is of concern and is being monitored closely,” said Judith Schuler, spokesperson of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Ethiopia, adding that the number of food-insecure people could increase.
At present, an estimated 3,2 million people are food insecure in Ethiopia, down from a peak of 4,5 million during the 2011 Horn of Africa drought. Revised figures are expected in mid-July.
Læs hele artiklen http://www.irinnews.org/Report/95528/ETHIOPIA-Poor-rains-prompt-calls-for-more-food-assistance
